Movable design



Deg. 11 1923.

'c. w. SAALBURG MOVABLE DES IGN 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 5, 1919 2ATTORNEW Dec. 11,1923.

c. w. SAALBURG MOVABLE: DESIGN Filed June 5, 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INENTOR ATTORNEYS Dec. 1 1 1923. 1,477,080

C. W. SAALBURG MOVABLE DES IGN Filed June 5; 1919 3 Sheets-Sheet 5ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 11, 1923.

UNITED STATES CHARLES W. SAALBURG, OF NEW YORK,

N. Y.,- ASSIGNOR TO ANIMATED PICTURE FRODUC'IS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N.Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MOVABLE DESIGN.

Application filed June 3, 1919. Serial No. 301,545.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. SAAL- BURG, acitizen of the United Statesresidin at New York, in the county of 5 and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Movable Designs, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to an,

apparatus by means of which movable designs of many (liiferent kinds maybe produced.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus by the use ofwhichdesigns of many different kinds may be put in motion in anadvantageous manner, so as to attract the eye, and thus serve as aneffective means of displaying advertisements of all kinds. Again,another object is to accomplish this, end by the use of materials whichare comparatively inexpensive, and which are eas to manufacture. Stillanother object o my invention is to construct the apparatus in such amanner that any desired color may be used therein, andmay be changedfrom time to time, if desired. A further object is to provideconstructions in which the displaying surface may be made of large size.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the detaileddescription thereof contained hereinafter.

IVhile my invention is capable of embodiment in many different ways, forthe pur-' pose of illustration I have shown only certain types ofapparatus made in accordance with my invention in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of an apparatus made in accordance with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same.

Fig. 4 is aplan partly in section of a modified form of my invention.

Fig. 5 is aplan view of one form of window used.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of another form used.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of still another form used.

form of window used.

Fi 9 is an elevation part1 broken away of still another form of win ow,and

New Y 91ft 3 and 5 to 9, I have shown an apparat-us s.

comprising a supporting base 1 wliich in the embodiment shown, carriesneafiats, center an upwardly-directed electric light socket2, having anincandescent electric lamp 3 supported vertically at the upper end ofthe same. Upon the top of the electric lamp 3, there is shown supporteda rotary display member 4 which may carry designs of any suitable typeupon the outside of the same, but which preferably has a central zone 5carrying letters or designs of very large size to designate anyparticular subject matter to be advertised, and upper and lower zones 6and 7 carrying any desired design, the movement of which will attractthe eye. number of openings such'asopcnings 8 to allow the escape ofheated air, and in its interior, beneath the openings 8 it is preferably provided with means such as a number of inclined vanes 9, whichcause the display member 4 to rotate as a result of the rising currentof air coming into contact with the same. Around the display member 4,there is preferably a housing 10 supported by feet 11 or in any othersuitable manner from the base 1. In the form shown, said housing 10 hasat the top, a chimney 11 to increase the draft of therising current ofair, and two forwardly-directed wings 11 to focus the attention of theobserver towards a curved glass window 12. This window 12 may be made ofa corrugated plate 13 with semi-cylindrical corrugations 14 on one face,as indicated in Fig. 5, or with similar corrugations 15 located on theother face, as indicated in Fig. '6, or with corrugations of both kinds,as indicated in Fig. 7 or instead the window may be constructed of aplurality of glass tubes 16, as indicated in Fi 8. Said tubes may befilled with alcoho which is a colorless liquid that does not freeze atatmospheric temperatures, or with any other desired li uid. The liquidmay be colored or not as esired to suit the V taste of the exhibitor orthe occasion during Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of another which thedisplay is being made. In any event, where there are thelarge letters ordesigns used as hereinabove referred to, and opposite the zone ofletters there is pref- Said display member 4 has a erably'provided azone 17 in the window 12 made up in the same manner as the rest of thewindow, except that the corrugations thereon are extremely small, sothat in this manner the letters while still having the appearance ofmovement will, nevertheless,

be entirely legible at a considerable distance,

and said designs will retain their form to the e. If desired also, thecorrugations of the window 12 may be formed by superimposing twoseparate transparencies 12 and 12",

as indicated in Fig. 9, with the corrugations thereof located at anysuitable angle to each other to give, e. g., the effect of acollection-of spheres; or the same effect can be' obtained by thecrossing of two sets of tubes, as indicated in Fig. 8.

The modification of my invention shown in Fig. 4 may be constructed iiithe same manner as the form of my invention already described, except inthis instance, there-is provided a base 18 on which there is roitatedbya motor mechanism of any desired type, such for example as av clockmechanism 19?, a prismatic or cylindrical transparency or compositewindow 19 having a gear 20 upon its inner face meshing with a gear 21upon the clock mechanism 19". -The composite window 19 may beconstructed of materials exactly the same as in the case of the window12 previously described. Furthermore, in this form of my invention thereis preferably a stationary display member 22' having designs and lettersof the same character as above described.

InFig. 10, I have shown another modified form of my invention in whichthe con- :members 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32 respectively, which havebearings located upon, e.

lamp supports 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 and means such as 38, 39,40, 41 and.42, driven by a series of belts 43, 14:, 45, 46 and 47-, so

as to drive the display members from a convenient source of ower such asan electric motor 48. It will e understood that, in this instance, thereare transparencies or windows 49, 50-, 51, 52 and 53, which may be flator curved, as desired, and which maybe'provided with corrugations of thesame character as hereinabove described .7

In the operation of my invention, referring first to Figs. 1 to 3 and 5to 9, the display member 4 is rotated by the current of heated air inthe apparatus produced by the electric lamp 3, and the designs andletters thereon will pass between the window 12 and the lamp 3, so as togive the effect in each of the corrugations or bars of the window of alocal rotation on the axis of the cylinder, or on the center of thesphere COI11- prised in each corrugation. However, in the case of thezone 5 containing the large letters and designs, these local areas ofrotation will not render the characters illegible because of the factthat any one letter or design is very much larger in its dimensions thanthe width of any particular corrugation through which it is viewed. Inorder to obtain different color effects, the tubes 16 may be filled withdifferent colored liquids from time to time. However, when alcohol isthe liquid used therein, there will be no danger of freezing atatmospheric temperatures.

The form of my invention shown in Fig. 4 may operate in the same manneras the form of my invention already described, ex- ,gcpt that in thisinstance there is a station.-

my display member 22 and a rotary transparency or composite window 19,the latter being rotated by means such as a clock mechanism 19*. Themodification of my invention shown in Fig. 10 may operate in the samemanner broadly speaking as the form of myinvention shown in Figs. 1 to3, except that in this instance the plurality of display members 28, 29,30, 31 and 32 are preferably all driven with the same speed from thesame source of power, so that the effect of motion in the designs orletters thereon is obtained over a large surface, although the sourcesof light are preferably localized at various points in the rear of saidsurface.

While I have described my invention above in detail, I wish it to beunderstood that many changes may be made therein without departing fromthe spirit thereof.

I claim:

An apparatus for advertising designs comprising a windowformed oftransparent hollow pipes adapted to be filled with liquids, an innerrotatable device bearing designs which are intended to be advertised,and a lam within the device whereby the illuminate design may be seenthrough the window with the effect of local rotations within the pipes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing, I have hereunto set my handthis 27th day of May, 1919.

CHARLES W. SAALBURG.

